Improvement in carpet tacker and stretcher



G A BRIGGS Carpet Taoker and fitretcher.

Patented M ffi ".FEKERS, FHGHLUTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

CHARLES A. BRIGGS, OF QUAKER STREET, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN CARPETTACKER AND STRETCH ER. 7

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,531, dated May 14, 1878; application filed March 29, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. Braces, of Quaker Street, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Carpet Tacker and Stretcher, which improvements are fully described in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 .represents a perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same when its parts are in position for operation, and Fig. 3 is a top-plan view of the device.

My invention relates to a device which will at the same time engage with the carpet for stretching the same and holding its margin edge to the base-board, and at the same time hold a tack with the hammer, and when the handle of the device is lowered release the hammer, and cause it tothrow forward and carry with it the tack with such force as to drive it to its head through the carpet and into the floor at a short and uniform distance from the margin edge of the carpet.

This invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts or devices hereinafter specifically described and made the subject-matter of the claims.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the device. B is a socket, made solid with said body, or securely attached thereto, for receiving the handle C. a a are teeth or points for engaging with the margin edge of the carpet, to stretch the samewhen the handle (3, with. its attached body A, is pushed forward. b b are gaging-points, the uses of which I will hereinafter describe. The said parts-viz., the body A, handle 0, teeth a a, and gaging-points b b-'compose the carpetstretcher.

Made solid with the body A are the arms 0 c, which turn upward and form brackets for the pivots on which the trunnions of the hammer D work or turn. The hammer D is made with the form substantially as shown, and with arm at and trunnions ff, from which the hammer turns. Around the trunnions ff are coiled the springs s s, which springs are made continuous with each other by the yoke 8 and also with the compensating tension-springs .9

.9 which are continued from their respective coiled springs s s, and attached to the forward portion of the body A, as shown. The yoke s is caused to enter intothe notch o, made'in the shoulder of the arm 01, which separates the coiled springs s s from each other. The spring operating the hammer is, by the peculiar construction of its parts, made to consist of a coiled spring and a compensating tensionspring, which operate together to produce a spring which will be almost uniform in its ten-' sion, and not in the least liable to get out of order. In the shoulder 61 is made a second notch, '0, into which the yoke may be slipped if it be desired to give the hammer a more powerful blow.

Made in the shoulder d is a notch, w. Pivoted to the body of the device is the trigger E. A light spring, g, bearing at one end with the body and at the other end with the trigger, presses the latter against the periphery of the shoulder and into notch at, when the hammer is thrown back, as in Figs. 1 and 2. Made with the hammer l) and with its driving end is the horn h, having preferably a tapering form, as shown in Fig. 2. Over or on the said horn is fitted an elastic ferrule, am, having one end bearing on the shoulder of the said horn, and the other end projecting a little above the terminating end of the same. The recess formed by the portion of the bore of the elastic ferrule m above the end of the horn is the tack holder or receiver for holding the tack z in place.

The manner in which the several parts of this device operates is as follows: The operator will turn the hammer D from. position shown by full lines in Fig. 3 to that shown by full lines in Fig. 2, when the spring 9 will press the upper portion of the trigger E into notch a, when the said hammer will be set in position for receiving the tack z to be driven. The tack z is then inserted in its place in the elastic holder or receiver, with its head resting on the squared or flattened end of the horn of the hammer. The operator will then insert the points or spurs a a into the margin edge of the carpet, with the gage-points b in a vertical range over the line of the edge of the carpet, and then with a firm hand push the device forward until the gage-points touch the base-board the carpet is to line with, and retaining the device in place against the baseboard, he will lower or depress the handle slightly, so that the trigger will bear on the floor and be thrown up, so as to throw the opposite end engaging with notch or of the shoulder of the hammer-arm out from said notch, when the springs s s and s s will cause the trunnions of the hammer-arm to suddenly revolve or turn and throw the hammer forward with great force, and carry with it the tack z, and force the same into the floor and through the margin edge of the carpet at one given distance from its extreme edge. A portion of the projecting end of the elastic tackholder will be upset and the tack will be driven entirely out from the same, while the rebound will entirely clear the holder from the tack.

The end of the handle entering into the socket B may be provided with a tack-raiser, as shown in Fig. 2, if so elected, while the handle 0 may be made of short length, or with a length sufficient to reach across a room.

These improvements render the device simple, and also convenient for operation, and are calculated to materially lessen the labor attending the laying and tacking down of carpets.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure, by Letters Patent, 1S.

1. The combination, with the hammer, of the horn h and elastic tack-holder m, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hammer provided with the horn h and elastic tack-holder m, arm d, trunnions f f, in combination with the spring 8 and s yoked together, and trigger E, working in notch 02 of the shoulder of the arm of said hammer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with trunnions f f, of the coiled springs s s, yoked together and held by notch 42 and compensating tensionsprings s 8 substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with handle 0, body A, having spurs or points a a and gage-points b b, of a hammer thrown forward by the action of springs s s and s 8 when released by the depression of the handle, causing a trigger to release the said hammer and permit it to be thrown forward and downward for driving a tack at the same time the carpet is pushed into place and held, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES A.BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

OHAs. J. SELKIRK, ALEX. SELKIRK. 

